This past weekend, Final Fantasy XIV producer/director, Naoki Yoshida, appeared at the Nico Nico Chokaigi 2015 event in Tokyo. During the show, Yoshida appeared in various on-stage segments, including an “on-the-road” version of the ‘Letter from the Producer LIVE’ where he discussed the upcoming expansion, Heavensward. As part of the producer letter, Yoshida revealed a brand-new trailer for the Heavensward benchmark software which showcases the three new playable jobs, exciting dungeons, new areas, and flying mounts. He also announced the release of the benchmark software that will enable players to test their PC ahead of release. The benchmark also features the ability to try out the upgraded new DX11 graphics, and create characters, including the new playable race, the Au Ra.

During the show, Final Fantasy XIV main scenario writer, Kazutoyo Maehiro, also presented a fun video created in his spare time that features the characters of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn in an imaginary fighting game style battle. Check it out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yZXjxuoEGA

The FINAL FANTASY XIV: Heavensward benchmark software is available here.

Next week the Call of Combat team will start rolling out the new leveling system. They’re starting a promotion point system that looks at your performance each game and hands out points accordingly. There are plans to tweak and build on the system in the weeks thereafter, by adding new layers to bring increased depth. It will be experimental at first, so you should expect a lot of changes as they tune everything up.

The implementation of a levelling system also means interface in-game and on the website upgrading to clearly show how you and others have been progressing. Their aim is to create a dynamic and responsive website that presents you with all sort of statistics and charts about your progress and performance. Also planned is a regiment roster and the ability to quickly see what games they recently played. Elements like this really help a game, personally I love to be able to check out my stats and measure my performance outside of play.

On the New Player Experience front, a tutorial level is being designed to teach the basics of the game for newcomers. This should help with a nice boost to the player population.

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With the full launch of The Elder Scrolls Online Tamriel Unlimited just around the corner on June 9th, the official console beta starts today. It’s invite only and a great little FAQ has been released by the team over on the official website. Even though it’s invitation only, there’s no NDA stopping players from sharing their experiences. Keep your eyes peeled for twitch streams and similar!

 What is the ESOTU console beta test?

This is a limited, closed public beta. You must receive an invite to participate. We are sending invites to some of those who signed up for the ESOTU console beta (not everyone who signed up will get an invite).

When is the ESOTU console beta test?

The ESOTU console beta test opens on Thursday, April 23rd, at 15:00 BST and ends on Monday, April 27th, at 15:00 BST.

When will invites for the ESOTU console beta test be sent out?

Invites start going out today, Wednesday, April 22nd, at 15:00 BST, so check your inbox. Don’t forget to check your spam box, too (just in case!). We strongly advise that those invited start downloading the game as soon as possible.

Is there an NDA in place for the ESOTU console beta test?

Nope! There is no NDA in place for this beta test, so we encourage participants to share screenshots and livestream until your heart’s content.

Will my characters from beta carry over to the live version of ESOTU on PS4 and Xbox One?

Unfortunately, no. We will be wiping all characters from the ESOTU console beta before the official worldwide launch on June 9th. If you are eligible for the PC/Mac to PS4 and Xbox One transfer, your characters will be waiting for you on the PS4 and Xbox One megaservers at launch. Otherwise, you will be creating new characters on launch day.

Is this a cross-console beta test?

No, PlayStation®4 and Xbox One players will have their own megaservers—one for North America and one for Europe, respectively. For the beta (and at launch), you will be able to choose which one you want to play on. Characters are unique per megaserver.

How many megaservers are available during the ESOTU console beta test? Can I choose which one I want to play on?

We will have two megaservers for PS4 and two megaservers for Xbox One—one for North America and one for Europe, respectively. You may choose which one you want to play on.

Will we be playing the full game during the ESOTU console beta test, or only parts of it?

Everyone participating in the ESOTU console beta test will have access to the full console version of the game, not a slimmed down version.

Remember, there is no NDA for this event, so we encourage everyone on PS4 and Xbox One to stream the beta over Twitch (or UStream, using the PS4’s built-in share capabilities). We’ll be on the lookout for great streams to share! In celebration of the upcoming PS4 and Xbox One launch on June 9th, we also have a handful of shiny new screenshots to share with you. You can see all these locales and more during the beta and at launch. Which one are you most looking forward to seeing yourself?

Hearthstone is now playable on iOS and Android phones. Allowing you to keep those battles going even if you’re away from your computer. Featuring an all-new intuitive interface which was made for the mobile experience, it should be easier than ever to take Hearthstone with you anywhere you want to play.

If you’re new to the game you can jump into the tutorial first and learn the ropes before playing against the computer quests, single matches vs bots or the exciting PvP matches. If you already have an account it will work across all platforms so no need to open new accounts if you want to play on multi-platforms.

There is of course a small bonus for your first time playing on Android or iOS. You will get a free classic card pack just for playing a game in Play, Arena or Practice, so jump on in!

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The Wargaming.net team have announced the new updates to their Team Battles in World of Tanks.  The Team Battle mode has proven to be a fun way to coordinate with friends and play World of Tanks with higher-tier vehicles and a unique matching scheme. In the upcoming update 9.7, Team Battles undergoes several enhancements, allowing you to form teams that want to stick together and make their way up a global leaderboard.

Any World of Tanks player will be able to create “permanent” teams — a group of players that establishes themselves in the Team Battle system. Just enter Team Battle mode from the battle menu, select Ranked Battles, and click Create Team. Once finished, you can customize your team with an emblem, and send invitations to other players and grow your ranks.

Get all the details at the official announcement.

The Edge Case Game team have put out Fractured Space for a free weekend on Steam. Any players that download and connect to the game will keep Fractured Space free of charge, my favourite price!

Fractured Space is a team based game where you and four other capital ships work together to outwit, outmaneuver, and outgun the enemy squadron. you have to fight, seize the enemy territory, and win gloriously. Your quick thinking and strategy will decide who lives, and which crew ends up floating amid the wreckage.

There were goals set for the unique number of players who connect during this free weekend. It eneds on Monday morning, 10am Pacific time, but the goals have already been reached!

Official website.

So far the patch has only rolled out on to the Public Test Realms (PTR), but the WoW team have posted their notes and changes so far.

With new content like The Invasion of Tanaan Jungle, a whole new zone, which requires you to build a shipyard to access. Hellfire Citadel is the latest raid and a new dungeon difficulty is ready to test the most battle hardened players: Mythic. Mythic difficulty has a one week lockout and drop gear at level 680, the boss has a good drop rate for level 700 loot…

You can get all the notes to date at the official patch notes.

Modulaatio Games is have announced that Running With Rifles has now been released as a final version!

Running With Rifles (RWR) is a top-down tactical shooter with some open-world RPG elements.
In RWR, you join the ranks of an army as a common soldier, just like the thousands around you. To your superiors, you’re nothing but cannon fodder… (Which the game makes me fondly remember playing as a youngster!)

The open world approach lets you define your own path and story in the campaign. Push back the enemy with your comrades or go deep behind enemy lines to sabotage their efforts and loot valuable items. There’s a whole lot fo action, so you can always look for a way to help your team in your own style.

As you gain experience, you are promoted with higher command over soldiers and equipment. Call in artillery fire missions or paratrooper reinforcements when the situation gets tight! Use your squad to man armed boats, tanks and APC’s. Maybe you will try the lone wolf, secret agent behind enemy lines style, just be ready to die a lot!

Official website.

At the heart of League of Legends is the joy of competition. Five players coordinating their efforts in pursuit of a common goal – reaching the opposing team’s Nexus so they can smash it to rubble.

In that spirit, we’re excited to unveil Battlegrounds, a new tournament series for European players of all skill levels. You don’t have to be Challenger tier, just somebody who occasionally enjoys tackling a new challenge with a group of friends.

There will be four online qualifiers in total for the UK and Ireland, the first of which will take place starting April 25. Players will accumulate points throughout the year that are based on their final standings. Matches will be played every weekend for the duration of each qualifier. Registration opens on April 13th and closes April 23rd.

If you live in one of the countries listed below, prepare your team of nine (that’s five starters and four subs) and go to the Battlegrounds website  to review the full tournament guidelines.

At launch, Battlegrounds will be available in the below mentioned countries. But stay tuned because, like Tristana’s passive, we hope to increase its range as the program levels up!
EUW

France
Germany
Italy
Spain
UK and Ireland

EUNE

Greece
Hungary
Poland
Romania

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The Lineage 2 team have just released the official trailer for the upcoming expansion, Infinite Odyssey. Players will be happy to hear the level 99 cap has been pushed up to the sweet 100, so time to get your levelling on! The new rank of Exalted has been added, one step above the current Noblesse. As you would expect, the hardest quests must be completed to attain this rank.

Leona Blackbird and the Blackbird Army, in pursuit of Etis van Etna, the Head of Embryo, hurry to Ye Sagira. When they arrive, an ambush lies in wait. Across the continent, Embryo’s strike teams attack the Blackbird Army forces, who are either slaughtered or taken prisoner.

Attempting to find her captured comrades, she interrogates Iason Heine, but learns nothing from him. Determined, she sets out to visit the all the battlefields where the Blackbird Army battled Embryo. She surveys scenes of intense fighting, but finds no helpful clues. After much searching, she discovers a soldier who barely escaped. Traumatized, he tells Leona what little he can.

Based on the intel she’s gathered, Leona and her team depart for the location of the Embryo stronghold.

Find out more about the new skills, zones, and new boss at the official website.